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The two-day Scientific Conference, with the theme "Democracy in Crisis," of the Institute of Political and Democracy Studies, which took place on January 31 and February 1 at the University of Cyprus, took place with particular success. This was also confirmed by the massive turnout of the public that was held until the end of the conference, as well as the presence of politicians from all party areas, prominent personalities from the university community, and civil society.The main speaker was Prof. Evangelos Venizelos, former vice president of the Greek government, with a speech on "Democracy in Crisis and Democracy as a Crisis Management Method." The conference was welcomed by the speaker of the Parliament, Mrs. Annita Dimitriou, the rector of the University of Cyprus, Prof. Tasos Christofidis, and the president of the Institute, Dr. Christopher Fokaidis.
Through six different panels, the conference focused on critical issues such as political accountability, meritocracy, and the fight against corruption, as well as the role of parties and media in the age of social media and artificial intelligence. The conference also discussed issues related to the functioning of the rule of law, the need for checks and balances, as well as the role of civil society.
This is an extremely important and topical issue that concerns not only governments and politicians but also the citizens themselves. In an era of increasing obsolescence of democratic institutions, informed public dialogue around the major challenges facing democracies worldwide today is a prerequisite for taking action in the direction of defending and deepening democracy.
It is the intention of the Institute that the dialogue that has started on the occasion of the conference continue and be reflected in the next period through scientific publications.
